Coral larvae production drops by 90 percent after marine heat waves – “We used to think that the Great Barrier Reef was too big to fail – until now”

4 April 2019 (James Cook University) – The damage caused to the Great Barrier Reef by global warming has compromised the capacity of its corals to recover, according to new research published today in Nature. “Dead corals don’t make babies,” said lead author Professor Terry Hughes, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University (JCU). […]

Sea turtles are being born mostly female due to warming – “I can’t deny it: seeing those results scared the crap out of me”

By Craig Welch 4 April 2019 (National Geographic) – She started out studying tree-climbing marsupials, but only after she applied what she knew to marine reptiles did Camryn Allen actually get worried. Allen, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Hawaii, had spent her early career using hormones to track koala bear […]

25th anniversary edition of WMO’s State of the Climate report shows accelerating global warming impacts – “The data released in this report give cause for great concern”

28 March 2019 (WMO) – The physical signs and socio-economic impacts of climate change are accelerating as record greenhouse gas concentrations drive global temperatures toward increasingly dangerous levels, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. The WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2018, its 25th anniversary edition, highlights […]

“Last-chance tourism” hastens decline of destinations threatened by global warming, like the Florida Reef and the Galapagos Islands

By Aditi Shrikant 18 March 2019 (Vox) – Plopped in the Florida Reef is a 4,000-pound bronze Jesus named Christ of the Abyss. The statue is one of the most photographed sites in the Florida Keys, and at Lobster Trap Art you can buy his portrait printed on ceramic tiles for $24. Like many of […]

Oceans absorbed 34 billion tons of carbon from fossil-fuel burning over 1994-2007 period, a four-fold increase over 1800-1994

14 March 2019 (NOAA) – The global ocean absorbed 34 billion metric tons of carbon from the burning of fossil fuels from 1994 to 2007 — a four-fold increase to 2.6 billion metric tons per year when compared to the period starting from the Industrial Revolution in 1800 to 1994. The new research published by […]

Heatwaves sweeping oceans “like wildfires”, scientists reveal – “You see the kelp and seagrasses dying in front of you. Within weeks or months they are just gone, along hundreds of kilometres of coastline.”

By Damian Carrington 4 March 2019 (The Guardian) – The number of heatwaves affecting the planet’s oceans has increased sharply, scientists have revealed, killing swathes of sea-life like “wildfires that take out huge areas of forest”. The damage caused in these hotspots is also harmful for humanity, which relies on the oceans for oxygen, food, […]

Australia approves dumping of 1 million tons of sludge near Great Barrier Reef – “Dumping dredged sludge into world heritage waters treats our reef like a rubbish tip”

By Colin Drury 22 February 2019 (The Independent) – More than one million tons of sludge are to be dumped close to the Great Barrier Reef after authorities in Australia approved plans to discard industrial dredge spoil. Sediment scooped up from the sea floor during maintenance work at nearby Hay Point Port will be ditched […]

Great Barrier Reef threatened by dirty water from recent floods – Floodwaters thought to contain dangerous chemicals are triggering algal blooms

By Liam James 15 February 2019 (The Independent) – Months after scientists warned it is at greater risk than ever, the Great Barrier Reef is facing a new challenge: dirty water. Run-off from the recent floods in Australia is spreading from the coast with the potential to reach the fragile reef. The floodwater is thick […]

The climate papers most featured in the media in 2018

By Robert McSweeney8 January 2019 (Carbon Brief) – In a year dominated by events such as Brexit, royal weddings, the Salisbury poisonings, US Supreme Court nominations and the World Cup, there was still space in the news media in 2018 for reporting on new climate research. These new journal papers were reported around the world […]

Major climate report describes a strong risk of crisis as early as 2040 – “Quite a shock, and quite concerning”

By Coral Davenport 7 October 2018 INCHEON, South Korea (The New York Times) – A landmark report from the United Nations’ scientific panel on climate change paints a far more dire picture of the immediate consequences of climate change than previously thought and says that avoiding the damage requires transforming the world economy at a […]

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